The UK hardcore scene is currently so packed with bands, both good and bad, that attempting not to sound like anyone else is a difficult task indeed. One example of not falling into this trap, however, is TRC, a band that is refreshingly combining grime with hardcore, adding fresh new flavours within the hardcore scene. Now for me, when their 2011 album ‘Bright Lights‘ came out, the idea and potential was there, but the execution wasn’t. This was until they released the single ‘#TeamUK‘ (included as track 4 on ‘Nation‘), when they showed the world what they can really do, with fantastic patriotism at the same time. Now that we finally have new album ‘Nation‘, is their potential truly shown? The answer is most definitely a massive fuck yeah.
‘Nation‘ is packed front to back with 8/9 out of 10 songs with the exception of lead single ‘We Bring War’, which has to be a modest 9.6 out of 10; a relentless, full throttle rager of a song, just excellence in its purest form. TRC’s Charlie Wilson has to be up there with the best riff writers out there in the UK at the moment. His work on ‘Nation‘ is excellent on a very riff heavy album, there’s some very well executed rapped speeches, and the album also contains the best use of breakdowns on a hardcore album I’ve heard for a long time. The opening 2 tracks show how the band can excel with equally technical and bouncy instrumentation, just made to jump around like a daft bugger in packed sweaty venues.
Now a lot has been said about rap vocalist Chris Robson, whom I will get onto in just a moment. Right now I’d like to give some credit to the unsung harsh vocalist Anthony Carroll. Carroll’s raspy screamed vocals offer such a raw intensity to TRC’s music, adding such ferocity and venom to the tracks he features on. His vocals on the tracks ‘Motivator‘ and especially ‘We Bring War’ go fantastically with Robson’s vocals, which is what pushes the quality of these tracks over the edge. If there’s one criticism I have of this album, it would be Carroll’s underused vocals, which only feature on 4 tracks on the album. As stated earlier, Robson’s vocals have been talked about a lot with regards to this album, mainly because his vocals and lyrics are nothing short of amazing here, and this is what gives TRC their unique selling point. His style and sometimes, lyrical themes have split opinion on occasion, but this is what takes TRC’s music to a whole new dimension, and offers different themed songs not usually heard within UK hardcore, giving TRC yet another great stand out point. Robson delivers his lyrics with such passion and a real bite, which makes it very difficult to see why some people are H.A.T.E.R.S.
TRC definitely deserve a hell of a lot more credit than they get, and certainly should be playing in bigger venues than they currently are. They have produced an absolute stormer of an album in ‘Nation‘ and this is definitely one of the finest in a line of brilliant albums released in 2013. Make sure to catch them on their October/November tour, they’re playing enough dates, so you have no excuses.
